Avs' 8th Division Win Matches Record

Published 7:00 pm, Saturday, April 6, 2002

The Colorado Avalanche have made NHL history, capturing the franchise's eighth consecutive division title to equal the record set by the Montreal Canadiens.

The Avalanche clinched the Northwest Division title by default Saturday night when the Edmonton Oilers lost to the Los Angeles Kings 4-3.

Montreal set the NHL record with eight straight division titles from 1975-82.

The Avalanche matched it in three divisions: the Northeast, when they were the Quebec Nordiques, in 1995; the Pacific from 1996-98, and the Northwest from 1999-2002.

Colorado's next goal is to secure the No. 2 playoff seed in the Western Conference. San Jose's 6-3 win over Detroit on Saturday night moved the Sharks one point ahead of Colorado in the race for the No. 2 seed (95 points to 94 points). By winning its division, Colorado can have no lower than the third seed.

Since relocating to Denver in May 1995, the Avalanche leads the NHL in playoff series wins with 14. Over the last eight seasons, the Avs have amassed a regular-season record of 341-188-79 for a .626 winning percentage, second-best in the league over that span.

In their previous six seasons in Colorado, the Avalanche have won two Stanley Cups and reached the Western Conference finals three other times.

"This is an organizational honor that spans eight years of excellence," general manager Pierre Lacroix said Sunday. "Starting with our ownerships, from the players to our entire scouting and hockey operations staff, everyone deserves to be recognized for this achievement.

"Our goal and vision for this organization has always been to present our fans and sponsors with an exciting product and a team that is competitive each year."